


Run to you

by beadi



Category: I Care A Lot (2020)
Genre: Arguing, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Friends With Benefits, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Sex, Women In Power
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:27:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29862921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beadi/pseuds/beadi
Summary: My take on how Marla and Fran met and how their relationship grew. Buckle up, it's gonna be a fun ride.
Relationships: Fran/Marla Grayson
Comments: 90
Kudos: 209





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

Fran stepped into her favorite pub in a fairly busy part of San Francisco greeting the bartender with a nod. She got used to coming here almost every night recently, although she didn’t quite know why, or preferred not to dwell too much on her reasons. 

“The usual?” Dan, the bartender, asked her once she sat on “her” stool at the corner of the bar. 

“Yeah, thanks.” 

Nursing her beer, Fran looked around – she noticed a few familiar faces, one of them saw Fran and nodded in acknowledgement. She nodded back with an obvious lack of interest in any communication. She came here to be alone in a crowd, not to find any friends or whatever. 

Suddenly the front door opened and when Fran looked up, she couldn’t help but gasp. The woman who came in was gorgeous, no, she was breathtaking and a few heads turned to admire her as she made her way to the bar. For a split second Fran’s eyes met the woman’s but she quickly looked away. She didn’t need this now, she didn’t want any infatuation, not after what happened with Jen. Fran focused on her beer and kept stealing glances at the blonde, who ordered a whiskey on the rocks and was typing non-stop on her phone. Obviously, Fran wasn’t the only one who noticed the woman. A guy who was playing pool with his friends kept staring at her, but she either didn’t notice or care. Just looking at her obviously wasn’t enough, so the guy straitened his shirt and squared his shoulders ( _Like a peacock_ , Fran thought) before making his way towards the woman. 

“What’s a beautiful woman like you doing here all alone?” He asked stopping beside her. Fran rolled her eyes. _Do these lines ever work?_

“Being busy.” The woman barely looked at him and continued typing at her phone. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” 

“I already have a drink.” 

“Dan, buddy, make us two shots of tequila.” Ignoring her the man told the bartender. Fran felt a sudden urge to come up and punch him.

“I told you, I have a drink.” 

“Oh, come on. Don’t be so uptight. Here, let’s drink!” The man pushed the shot towards her, and she finally looked up. If looks could kill, the man would be dead right now, but he was too drunk to notice. 

“No, thank you.” Fran could see it took all of the woman’s self-control to be so polite with him. 

“Wanna dance then?” He certainly didn’t know how to take no for an answer. 

“No. I want to be left alone.”

“Oh, I know what you’re doing – you’re playing hard to get. I like that, I can play along.” He moved closer to her and she shifted back in her seat. 

“I’m not playing and I want you to leave me alone.” 

“No, you don’t.” He grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her into him. “I know your kind. You’ll do anything a man tells you if he is patient enough.”

“Let go of me.” She hissed. The man didn’t seem to care and tried to snake his other hand around her waist despite the blonde’s attempt to free herself. 

Some people were looking at the scene but no one made a move to do something about it. Except Fran. 

“Hey, asshole.” 

“What the…?” The man turned to see Fran standing there with arms crossed. 

“The lady asked you to leave so I strongly suggest you do just that.” She said in the calmest voice she could muster. 

“This is none of your business.” 

“When a dickhead like you makes advances that are clearly unwanted, it becomes my business. So once again, fuck off.” 

He was fuming and speechless, trying to appear menacing but Fran didn’t care. Suddenly he threw a punch right into her face, but Fran was ready and dodged it skillfully, grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, smashing his head against the bar in doing so. 

“You bitch! Let me go!” He tried to wriggle from her grasp, but Fran wasn’t having it. 

“Not until you apologize to the lady.” Before he could protest, she put more pressure on his twisted arm and he groaned in pain. 

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry.” He said through gritted teeth. 

A few seconds later Fran let him go and pushed him towards his friends, making sure he didn’t come back.When she turned to look at the woman her breath caught at the way she was looking at her – with pure admiration. Fran shifted nervously, smiled and made a move to go back to her seat, but a soft hand on her wrist stopped her. 

“Um, thank you…” The woman finally spoke. 

“You’re welcome.” They looked at each other for a while until Fran realized the woman was still holding her hand. 

“Can I buy you a drink? As a thank you.” 

“Sure.” Fran said with a smile and sat beside the woman. _This is just a thank-you drink, nothing more._

“I’m Marla, by the way.” The blonde introduced herself after they ordered. 

“Fran.” 

“Nice meeting you, Fran.” Marla smiled and Fran thought she had never seen anyone so beautiful. “Those were some impressive moves there. Where’d you learn them?”

“Police academy.”

“Oh, you work for the force then?”

“Used to. Now I’m a P.I.” 

“Wow. Why did you quit?” Marla looked genuinely interested. 

“I didn’t, I got kicked out.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not that good at following orders.” 

“Mm-hm.” Marla contemplated her next question. “Are you any good at being the P.I.?” 

“I’d like to think I am, why?”

“A few more drinks and I’ll tell you.” _Is she flirting?_

They kept talking and drinking, until Fran noticed that they had somehow moved closer to each other and were now only a breath apart. Fran swallowed hard but didn’t move away, and if Marla noticed she didn’t let it show. 

“About the question I asked earlier…” Marla suddenly said.

“Hm?” 

“I could really use someone with your…expertise and skills.” Fran didn’t expect that at all. 

“What skills might that be?” 

Marla didn’t say a word for a few seconds but then smiled suggestively. 

“Well…” She placed her hand on Fran’s knee, making the other woman’s heartbeat speed up. “Come to the bathroom in two minutes so you can show me.” 

Saying that she stood up and went to the bathroom, leaving a bewildered Fran behind. _What the hell just happened?_

Fran shook her head to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She wasn’t looking for anything really when she came to the bar, but how could she say no to a woman like Marla? Finishing her beer, she made her way to the bathroom, not really knowing what to expect. As she closed the door behind her, she was pushed against it and felt Marla’s lips on hers. It didn’t take her long to respond and soon Marla asked for entrance with her tongue which she immediately granted. Fran felt on fire, she desperately needed air but didn’t want to break the kiss so instead she wrapped her hands around Marla’s waist, pulling her as close as possible. Marla moaned into the kiss and Fran thought she wanted to coax more sounds out of the woman. When the need for air became too much, they broke apart, breathing heavily. Fran willed herself to open her eyes and saw a flash in insecurity in Marla’s. 

“I…” Marla said, gathering her thoughts. “I don’t really do this. I just…I noticed you the second I walked in and all I could think was that I want you. I’m sorry if I overstepped the mark.” She didn’t move away, though. 

“Does it look like I’m complaining?” Fran said with a chuckle and Marla laughed. _What a beautiful sound._

“Listen, I don’t live too far from here, so maybe…you’d like to come home with me?” Marla asked biting her lower lip. Instead of answering Fran pulled her in for a searing kiss, making Marla moan again and it took all of Fran’s willpower not to take her right there and then. She wanted to take her time with Marla, explore her body with no clothes on, and Marla definitely deserved more than just being fucked against the bathroom door of some bar. 

“Lead the way.” Fran whispered as they broke apart. 

They left the bar and got into Marla’s car – a sleek BMW. _How fitting._ The drive took 10 minutes and was spent in comfortable silence. Well, as comfortable as it can be when all you can think of is getting your hands on the person sitting next to you. 

Once inside the apartment, Fran found herself once again pushed against the door and felt soft and inviting lips on hers. She realized Marla liked to be in control, so she would let her have her way for a while and kissed her back hungrily. When she felt Marla’s hands pulling up her shirt she broke the kiss. 

“Wait. How do I know you are not a serial killer?” Despite her question, her hands were roaming softly against Marla’s sides. 

“Even if I were, I’m sure you can take me down with those moves of yours.”

“I’d rather just. Take. You.” Fran said punctuating each word with a kiss. Marla captured her lips and pulled Fran’s shirt up and over her head and threw it somewhere behind her. Her hands immediately started exploring the newly exposed skin, making Fran shiver. 

In a swift move Fran reversed their positions and now it was Marla who was pressed against the door. Fran attacked her neck, kissing and sucking and biting there, until Marla was moaning and squirming against her. 

“Fran…” Marla whispered pleadingly and Fran gave in. She kissed her again while bunching up her dress with her hands. Once the dress was out of the way, Fran took her time caressing her inner thighs going up and up reaching the hem of Marla’s panties. Cupping her there Fran couldn’t help but moan at how wet Marla was already. She wanted her, and she wanted her now, and Fran didn’t want to tease any longer. Pushing the panties aside, she gathered the wetness and started circling her clit with her thumb. Marla gasped and moaned and held onto Fran’s shoulders for dear life. 

“Inside.” She whispered against Fran’s lips and Fran obeyed. She entered Marla first with one finger and then added another. They were kissing, messily now, and Marla kept bucking her hips in rhythm with Fran’s movements, and a few minutes later the orgasm hit and she could barely catch her breath. Fran brought her down from her high and kissed her tenderly. 

“That was…wow.” Marla said and pressed her forehead against Fran’s, making the brunette smile proudly. 

“Yeah, wow.” 

“Bedroom?” 

“Definitely.” Fran said and kissed Marla, letting herself be pulled towards the said room, getting rid of all the clothes along the way. 

_ To be continued…  _ 😉


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You asked, I delivered :)   
> P.S. Did anyone notice the TV series "Person of interest" reference I made?

Chapter 2.

Marla and Fran all but stumbled into the bedroom and onto the bed, Fran on top. They were kissing passionately, all teeth and tongue with Marla’s hands leaving burning traces on Fran’s back. Fran was immensely turned on and in need of a release, but even more than that she wanted to make Marla come again. She started kissing down the side of the blonde’s neck, finding that spot that made Marla squirm, then down to her breasts, sucking the already hardened nipples by turn. Marla was a moaning mess beneath Fran, bucking her hips hinting at what she needed, but Fran wanted to take her time, to discover the spots that drove Marla crazy. Right now it seemed like teasing her was driving her crazy, but Fran couldn’t help herself. Finally, she gave in and continued her journey south. She licked through Marla’s folds and moaned at her first taste of the woman beneath her. Marla, in turn, groaned at the long-awaited friction and raised her hips seeking more and Fran placed her hand on her stomach to keep her down. She kept licking and sucking, paying close attention to the way Marla’s body reacted to her actions. Quickly finding the right rhythm she kept at it, until Marla’s hand grabbed her hair almost painfully and she came with an unabashed moan and fell back onto the bed riding out the aftershocks. Fran placed one last kiss on Marla’s clit and kissed her way up her body. Marla drew her in until their lips met again and moaned at tasting herself on Fran. A few minutes into the tender kisses and Marla’s breathing came back to normal and she pushed Fran on her back, straddling her hips.

“My turn.” She raised an eyebrow daring Fran to object at the sudden reversal of power, but the brunette was too turned on to care, so she simply pulled Marla down for a toe-curling kiss. Marla kissed her way down – to her neck, breast, toned stomach, but then skipped the part where Fran needed her the most and kissed and bit the skin of her inner thighs, making Fran let out an almost embarrassing whine.

“Marla…please…” She didn’t even care she was pleading, she just needed to come or else she’d combust.

Marla smiled but kissed her way up and didn’t lose any time in diving in, sucking, twirling Fran’s clit with her tongue and then entered her with two fingers at once. Fran felt all the wind knocked out of her and started moving her hips meeting Marla’s thrusts. It didn’t take long for her to come with a cry and usually she’d be embarrassed by not holding out longer, but when she opened her eyes and faced Marla smiling down at her smugly, all she could do was laugh out loud.

“Oh, you’re so full of yourself, aren’t you?” Fran asked placing a hand on Marla’s cheek.

“Yep.” Marla bent down to kiss the other woman and kept smiling.

Kissing turned into making out pretty quickly and Fran slid her hand down Marla’s body gasping at the wetness she found down there and began circling the clit ever so slowly while Marla started panting against her mouth. She felt herself getting turned on and fast, even though she just came. Somehow the blonde was affecting her this much. It was going to be a long night.

***

A couple of hours later, Marla and Fran were completely exhausted and sore from their activities so they just laid there side by side breathing heavily. Fran turned on her side with a groan and propped her head on her elbow to look down at Marla, receiving a tired smile in return.

“Well, that didn’t suck.” Fran said breaking the silence.

“Oh, there was plenty of sucking.” Marla wiggled her eyebrows suggestively making the brunette huff.

“Do you want me to go?”

“What? No, stay. If you want to, of course.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll stay.” Fran laid back down draping her arm around Marla’s waist.

“Just so you know, I am very bad at cooking. Like, terrible. So don’t expect any breakfast. But I can make you some pretty good coffee.”

“Coffee will do. Good night, then.” Fran leaned in to place a soft kiss on the blonde’s lips.

“Night.” Marla snuggled into Fran’s arms, falling asleep almost immediately.

***

Fran woke up to the sound of a shower running and opened her eyes. It took her a second to remember where she was and what happened the night before. The memories made her smile, but then the P.I. instincts kicked in and she sat up in bed examining the room she was in. Expensive silk sheets, very stylish design and colors, a few pieces of art on the walls. No photos on the nightstands, though. Not noticing anything suspicious, she laid back down and groaned – she must have stretched some new muscles last night. A few minutes later Marla came out of the bathroom in a silk robe and Fran’s breath caught in her throat – the blonde was not wearing any makeup which made her look younger and even more beautiful ( _As if it it’s possible_ ), her hair wet and messy - she was absolutely gorgeous. She saw that Fran was already up and smiled at her warmly.

“Hey.” She came up to Fran’s side of the bed and sat down.

“Morning.” Fran sat up so that they were face to face. After a moment’s hesitation she leaned in for a kiss which Marla welcomed with a smile.

“I’ll go make that coffee I promised you and you can take a shower if you want.” She motioned to the door she just walked through. “I left you a towel and a new toothbrush on the sink.”

“I’m dying for a shower, so thanks.”

“Oh, and…” Marla stood up and walked to the wardrobe and chose an oversized t-shirt handing it to Fran who looked at her questioningly. “You know, cause gathering your clothes around the house will take some time, you can put this on.” Fran reached for the t-shirt but Marla snatched it away at the last moment. “On second thought, you can go and find your stuff…naked. I won’t mind at all.” She smiled mischievously.

“Ha-ha, very funny.” Fran laughed and grabbed the T-shirt.

While in the shower Fran couldn’t help but think that she would really like to have Marla in here with her, fucking her against the tiles. _Stop it. It was just one night._ Nevertheless, she was getting turned on again and had to take a cold shower to calm down. Putting on the T-shirt she followed the scent of fresh coffee and walked into the kitchen, making Marla look up.

“All good?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Fran sat on one of the stools at the counter and gladly accepted the cup of coffee Marla handed her.

A tense silence fell between them and neither knew what to say. _That’s why I don’t do mornings after a one-night stand. This is just too weird._

“Listen, I gotta say something.” Marla finally broke the silence and Fran tensed, but nodded to show she was all ears. “First, I meant what I said at the bar – that I could really use someone with your skills.”

“I think you made that very clear last night.” Fran tried to lighten the mood.

“That was…I got sidetracked by…you.” Fran noticed a slight blush creep up Marla’s neck. “What I meant was that I need someone like you at my firm.”

“Wait.” Fran shook her head to make sure she heard her right. “Are you offering me a job?”

“Well, not offering…yet. I’m just saying that you could come in when you’re free, I’ll tell you about the firm and what I’m gonna need you to do and then it’s up to you to decide.” When Fran kept silent, she quickly added. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Yeah, it is. Sorry, forget I asked.”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just…surprised. No, surprised is an understatement. That is like the last thing I expected you to say. But I’ll think about it, okay?”

“Of course.” Marla breathed out before continuing. “And second, I don’t want to sound like an asshole, but this” She motioned between herself and Fran. “Is not gonna be a thing. I mean last night was amazing, but I don’t do relationships, I just don’t. Maybe it was also just a one-night stand for you, nothing more, but I thought this needed to be said, especially if there’s a chance we’ll be working together.”

“Marla, it’s totally fine. I get it.” Fran smiled reassuringly, but if she was honest with herself, she felt a bit hurt. “This was just sex. Mind-blowing sex, but still. We’re good, I mean it.” Marla sighed in relief and smiled beamingly at the brunette. “Anyway, thanks for the coffee, I’ll try and find my clothes and I’ll go.”

Marla nodded and started washing the coffee cups while Fran went to gather her things. She burst out laughing and Marla came in to see what was going on and the brunette simply pointed to the wall - her bra was hanging on the lamp there. Marla did a facepalm and laughed too.

“I have no comment for that.” She said through giggles.

“This is hilarious.” Fran stood on her tiptoes reaching up to get her bra and didn’t see the way Marla swallowed hard upon noticing the skin her hiked-up T-shirt revealed. Once Fran retrieved her bra she chuckled again and went to the bedroom to get dressed.

“Do you need a ride?” Marla asked when Fran came out.

“No, I called an Uber, it’s 2 minutes away. But thank you.”

“Right. Yeah. Okay then.” They walked to the front door and suddenly Marla slapped her forehead. “Shit, I forgot.” She stepped to the set of drawers to look for something and in a few seconds turned back to Fran to hand her a business card. “Here’s my phone and address, stop by anytime when you make up your mind about my offer.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.” Fran’s phone buzzed announcing the taxi’s arrival. “So…” She honestly didn’t know what to do – kissing Marla felt too intimate after they established it was a one-night stand, hugging her was just weird, leaving with just a “bye” felt wrong. She opted for a kiss on the side of the blonde’s mouth. “Bye, Marla.”

“Yeah, bye, Fran.”

Once inside the Uber, Fran blew out a sigh. It all felt so surreal – a woman like Marla stepping into that dingy bar, the night they spent, this morning and the job offer. She needed to think carefully about her next move. On the one hand, this job would probably pay much more than her not-so-frequent gigs as a P.I., on the other hand, there was Marla. Fran didn’t need a relationship right now, and Marla made it perfectly clear that was just sex, but the brunette didn’t want to lie to herself and admitted she was infatuated. This was not love at first sight or any of that bullshit, but Marla was unique, tantalizing, and the sex…well, the sex was arguably the best Fran has ever had. She was not sure she could handle being all cool and completely professional around the blonde, not when she knew how she tasted, what sounds she could coax out of her, how her skin felt against her lips...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I'm not entirely happy with chapter, but everything in it needed to be said for the sake of the storyline, so here it goes...

Fran spent the next two days with only one question on her mind: “Do I or do I not go to Grayson Guardianship?” She googled the company and stumbled upon some controversial reviews. Some said that the firm consisted of heaven-sent guardian angels for the elderly who could no longer take care of themselves, others contained a lot of curse words and said that the “blond bitch with a bob” was ruthlessly robbing everyone blind. That didn’t help Fran’s dilemma – because now she was also intrigued and wanted to know the fuss was about. In all honesty, she had lost her moral compass and faith in justice long ago, so even if the negative reviews were telling the truth, she wouldn’t care too much. Fran felt she was driving herself crazy with thinking too much on the offer and went to the gym to blow off some steam by punching the boxing bag. It helped, but as soon as she was back home, she couldn’t stop the thoughts from running through her head.

“Oh, fuck it.” She said out loud to no one in particular. She took a quick shower and went to bed, deciding to drive down to “Grayson Guardianship” in the afternoon.

***

Fran parked in front of the office building and sat motionless in her car. Her beat-up Dodge already looked out of place there, since the parking was mostly occupied by flashy new expensive vehicles. Usually she didn’t care about driving an old car, she loved it and it was even better for her job as a P.I. – it was inconspicuous and didn’t attract any attention at all, but now she felt a bit inadequate. Ignoring these thoughts, Fran exited her car and made her way to the entrance, noticing Marla’s BWM parked right in front of it ( _Of course she remembered the license plate_ ). _Shit, that means she’s in the office. I can still turn around and never come back._ But Fran was no coward so she gathered her thoughts and walked in, following the signs leading to the Grayson office. Once she found it the secretary at the front desk showed her the direction to Marla’s office, where another secretary ( _Her assistant, maybe?_ ) was sitting.

“Hi, I’m looking for Marla Grayson.” Fran said stepping inside.

“Hello. Do you have an appointment?”

“Uh, no, but she said I could just stop by.”

“Oh, and your name is?”

“Fran Gonzalez.”

“Okay, wait a second.” She picked up the phone and dialed. “Hey, boss, there’s a Fran Gonzalez here to see you, she said that you…oh, okay, sure thing.” She put down the phone and motioned towards the door. “You can come in.”

“Thanks.”

Fran barely made two steps to the door when it swung open revealing a smiling Marla. She was wearing a navy-blue pant suit with a red top and this business look totally worked for her, in Fran’s opinion, who immediately saw flashbacks of the night they spent together. _Oh, damn, this is definitely a mistake._

“Fran, hi! Come on in!”

“Hi!” She tried to look all cool and walked inside, closing the door behind her.

“I’m so glad you came. You want something? Coffee? Tea? Whiskey?”

“Coffee sounds just fine.”

“Okay. Take a sit wherever you want.” Marla said and turned to the coffee machine.

“Nice office.” Fran looked around.

“I like to think so too, I mean it’s my life’s work and feels like my second home.” She handed Fran the coffee.

“Thanks. So…I’m here.”

“Yeah. Anyway, the offer is definitely still on the table so…what do you want to know?” Marla asked sitting in an armchair opposite Fran, crossing her legs.

“Well, I did some research…”

“Of course you did.” Marla chuckled.

“And I want to know what’s really going on here and where do I come in.”

“Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be.” Marla looked impressed. “All right. Um, so basically, I find elderly people who are no longer able to take care of themselves and the court appoints me their legal guardian to find them a place in a care facility, to take care of their assets and all that.”

“Legally?” 

“Yes. Well, mostly.” Marla smiled a crooked smile.

“And how do you find them?”

“I have my sources, doctors, mainly.”

“What about their families?”

“That’s the thing – I do my research, I choose my clients very carefully. Most of my wards are lonely, their children don’t really care about anything but their inheritance. And when they do seem to care, they refuse to acknowledge that their mothers or fathers need professional help, or else something bad might happen to them. That’s where I come in.”

“Right. Looks like you got it all covered, so what do you need me for?”

“Well, first and foremost, we need help with the research. We’ve already made a few mistakes, like missing some part of the client’s biography, and it blew up in my face causing a loooot of trouble. I think this is right up your alley?”

“Looks like it. What else?”

“I need protection.”

“Protection?”

“Yes. Sometimes the family members get really angry and they want to take it out on me. Mostly it’s just empty threats, but every once in a while, someone tries to attack me.” Fran tensed. “Don’t worry, it happens maybe once a year at most. I don’t want to hire a bodyguard to follow me around, it will look suspicious and I would really hate to spend my time with someone who is all muscles and no brain. So I guess I will just need you to watch out for me and step in if necessary. Like you did at the bar.” Marla smiled warmly.

“Okay, I can do that. Anything else?”

“What else…drive me if I need you to, help prepare the houses and other assets for sale, check the finances of current wards, follow potential wards around, stuff like that.”

“Why me, though? I mean this sounds like a fine job and I’m sure lots of people would like to work here.”

“I can’t really explain it. I just…have this gut feeling about you, and it’s usually right. I don’t know why, but I think you can be a great addition to my team.” Fran leaned back in the armchair, deep in thought, which Marla took as a good sign. “Oh, and…” She wrote something on a post-it and handed it to Fran. “This could be your monthly salary, plus there are bonuses after scoring a new client, and a benefit package of course.” Fran looked at the number written on the paper in her hands and she could barely keep her eyebrows from shooting up. _That’s a lot of money._

“What’s the catch, Marla?” Fran squinted her eyes at her.

“There is no catch. But…what we do here, what I stand for, might be viewed as immoral, cruel, appalling even. So you will need to set aside your moral values and treat this as just a job like any other. And my experience shows that you either can or you can’t do it, there is no in-between.” She let her words sink in before continuing. “So, what do you say, Fran? Do you want the job and most importantly do you think you can handle it?”

 _This is a mistake. This is a mistake._ “You bet I can.”

Those words brought such a contagious smile to Marla’s face, that Fran couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Well, then…when can you start?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Perfect. Come on then, Addie, my assistant, will take you to the HR to fill out the paperwork.” They left Marla’s office and she asked Addie to show Fran around and take her to the HR. “Fran, would you mind coming back here when you’re done?”

“No, of course not.”

“Great, see you then.”

As instructed, Addie showed Fran around, introducing her to everyone they met around the office, before leaving her with the HR after Fran reassured her she’d find her way back just fine. In half an hour Fran was done with the paperwork and went back to Marla’s office, knocking on the doorframe to make her presence known.

“All settled?” Marla asked looking up from the paperwork she was engrossed in.

“Yeah. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Do you have any plans today?”

“Not really, no, why?”

“I have a suggestion – I know you’re officially starting tomorrow, but I need to go to a few places today and I thought you might like to come with me. You know, just to catch a glimpse of what you got yourself into. Obviously, that’s totally fine if you don’t want to.”

“Sure, why not. Let’s go.”

***

Later that day when Fran came home, first thing she did was pour herself a gin-tonic. She needed to clear her head and think straight ( _No pun intended_ ), which had proven to be a very difficult task when Marla was involved. She still thought she had made a mistake accepting the offer, but she simply couldn’t find it in herself to turn it down. The money was obviously the main reason, she could really use this significant raise in her income, but Fran also admitted to herself that she was looking forward to working with Marla. Spending the day with her, seeing her in her element was an exciting experience – the blonde was an impressive professional, she knew exactly when to stand her ground, when to give a fake smile, when to push the other person until they relented and let Marla have her way. Just watching her do what she did best was enthralling and Fran was completely hooked. Marla acted totally professional around Fran – they chatted on their way, had lunch, then went back to the office where Fran’s car was still parked and parted with an “I’ll see you tomorrow.” They simply slid into a routine with no tension whatsoever, no mention of the night they’d spent together. For a second Fran thought that’s how it’s going to be – easy, at-arm’s-length interaction. But then at some point Marla leaned into the brunette’s personal space and Fran’s senses went into overdrive at the proximity and getting a whiff of the blonde’s perfume made her heartbeat speed up. 

Drowning her gin-tonic in one go, Fran made herself another one and sat on her couch deep in thought. _I need to get it together. She’s my boss, and it’s perfectly clear that nothing is going to happen between us again. Yeah, she is gorgeous, but I need this job and I can’t fuck this opportunity up because I can’t keep it in my pants. I can!_

She finished her drink and went to bed, finally having come to the decision that she will just go along with it, do her job and do it well, and if it so happened that being around Marla stopped being comfortable, upsetting her inner peace that she had worked so hard to find, she would just quit. _Solid plan, right?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little insight into our favourite couple's past.

The next day Fran came into the office at 10 am sharp, and Marla was already there. Greeting Fran with a smile she went to show her her office, which was right next to Marla’s and tasked her with researching a potential ward, a Rose Windfield. Fran stuck to her plan – do her job well – and got down to it immediately. By the middle of the day she walked into Marla’s office with everything she managed to find.

“Got anything for me?” Marla asked leaning back in her chair and puffing out a cloud of smoke from her vape. _How can she make smoking this godawful device so sexy?_

“I think so, yeah. At first I didn’t find anything suspicious – just an old lady with lots of money in 2 separate accounts, earning monster interest, who spends it on basic stuff – books, meds, clothes etc. But then I stumbled upon a weird transfer she makes every month – 1000 $ to a bank account in the Caribbean.” She handed Marla the papers with highlighted transfers.

“Charity case, maybe?” Marla asked looking up.

“I thought so too initially, but decided to dig into it. It’s registered to an Alfonso Diaz and I couldn’t find any connection between them, so I started looking into her family. Her daughter died from cancer, and she has a grandson, Steve, who was charged with first-degree murder 2 years back. But…he was never caught, so he’s still wanted by the police. Last time he was seen was 5 months ago in Florida, but managed to vanish. After that – nothing.”

“So…are you saying that he’s hiding somewhere in the Caribbean and she’s sending him money?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“And…"Alfonso Diaz" is what, his alias?”

“No, that’s Steve’s boyfriend.”

“What? How the fuck did the police miss this clue?”

“No one knew they were dating. They were both in the closet.”

“How did YOU find out then?”

“Maybe…I had to do some hacking into Steve’s Facebook from before the charges.” Fran smiled innocently and Marla huffed.

“Wow. I’m impressed. Great job.”

“Just doing my best.” Fran felt a blush rising. “So what are you going to do about her?”

“We’ll have to leave her be. If we get control of her accounts and stop sending money to that Steve, there’s no telling what he or his boyfriend might do and we don’t know exactly how dangerous they are. Fuck, she looked very promising.” Marla threw all the papers on Mrs.Windfield into the waste bin.

“Makes sense, though. So…anything else you need me to do?”

“Yeah, care to drive me to the court?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s go then.” Marla said standing up.

That’s how Fran’s work days at Grayson Guardianship began and honestly, she liked every minute of it. She was always up for a challenge and this job was exactly what she needed. She spent her days digging into financials and history of wards, driving Marla to wherever she needed, stalking potential clients, and being on the look-out for any pissed off relatives who might try to come at Marla. So far nothing like that had happened, but Fran was always on alert just in case.

Three weeks passed and Fran’s plan was working. She was great at this job, she quickly remembered the names of all the Grayson employees, even went to grab a drink with some of them a couple of times, and Marla was really fun to spend so much time around. She was witty, very intelligent, had a great sense of humor and taste in music and she turned out to be a great listener, when Fran found herself chatting non-stop about some nonsensical stuff, making Marla laugh wholeheartedly.

It was past 9 pm on a Thursday and Fran was still at the office, researching this potential ward, whose records and family history were pristine, but the brunette still had a feeling something was not right with this guy. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was exactly. She was looking into his accounts’ transactions from 5 years ago when she heard a knock on her door frame. She looked up to see Marla standing there.

“What are you still doing here? It’s so late.” The blonde asked approaching the desk.

“I could ask you the same.” Fran retorted, not unkindly.

“I asked you first.” Marla chuckled.

“Fair enough. I’m looking into this Dave Peters you asked me to, there’s something off about him, I just can’t find out what. I guess I lost track of time. You?”

“Paperwork.” Marla said vaguely and Fran felt this was not the truth, but decided not to press further. “About Dave – wrap it up for now and go home, sleep on it. Even if you can’t find what is off about him, but still think that there’s definitely something, we’ll drop him. I trust you on this.” Fran’s eyebrows shot up at this but Marla simply shrugged and made a move towards the door but stopped abruptly and turned around. “Hey, Fran?”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna have dinner? If you don’t have any plans, that is. I’m starving.” If Fran was surprised by the question, she did a great job at hiding at.

“I would love to have dinner, I haven’t eaten since lunch.” Marla visibly relaxed at the brunette’s response.

“Come on then, I know this Italian place not too far from here. But you drive, I’m honestly too tired for that.” She threw her car keys to Fran, who caught them expertly and followed Marla to the BMW.

Half an hour later they were sitting at a secluded table in the Italian bistro Marla chose. They were talking and joking about this and that sipping wine until their food arrived and they dug in. Finishing the main courses, they ordered dessert and another bottle of wine.

“So, tell me about yourself, Fran.” Marla suddenly said leaning on her elbows on the table.

“What do you wanna know?”

“Something you’re not comfortable talking about.”

“What kind of question is that?” Fran chuckled.

“The kind the answer to which I’m interested in.”

“Oh, okay…” Fran thought carefully about what to tell Marla. There was so much in her life that she wasn’t comfortable talking about, so she decided to start from the beginning. “All right, then. So I grew up in a small town near Mexican border, the kind where everybody knows everybody and there is little chance a secret can remain a secret. I was raised to be a good girl, to marry some guy, become a housewife and have three kids and live happily ever after, making sure everyone around me was happy with the life I was living. Only…no one ever bothered to ask me whether this was the life I wanted. I didn’t want kids, I realized pretty early I liked girls the way I was supposed to like boys, I wanted to travel and see the world. But I was young, I was totally at the mercy of my parents, so I kept up the “perfect daughter” façade, until one day my brother came home from work early and walked in on me making out with my best friend, Erica. He threw Erica out and I begged him not to tell our parents, but he did anyway. You have no idea the scandal it caused. I decided to be brave and stand my ground, come out to my family only to be beaten by my father. No one stepped in to help me as he kept hitting me.” Fran paused to breathe out shakily and Marla placed a soothing hand on hers with a soft understanding smile. “When he was done, he gave me 10 minutes to grab my things and leave and never come back. I spent the night at the school gym, hoping to find some comfort the next day with Erica and my other friends. But it turned out she told everyone I came on to her and they all turned their backs on me. In one day I lost my family, the girl I thought I loved and my friends. I couldn’t stay there any longer, so I decided to leave and caught a bus to go up north, where I knew my aunt lived. She let me stay with her, as long as I worked and helped her around the house. I transferred to a school there, worked two jobs and tried to get over what had happened. That’s how fucked up my teenage years were.” Fran stopped talking to look at Marla, who had a frown and a serious expression on her face.

“I’m so sorry, Fran.” She squeezed her hand.

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not and I’m so fucking angry at your family for doing that to you. I know it’s not uncommon even nowadays, but it doesn’t make it less revolting.”

“I know, I know. But what can you do except move on and not let these events define you?”

“I suppose you’re right.” Marla said still holding Fran’s hand. “Thanks for telling me this, I mean it.” Fran smiled and felt comforted by Marla’s hand on hers.

“Now it’s your turn.” She said after a while.

“Meaning?”

“Tell me something about yourself.”

“Like what?”

“Something, anything, really.”

“That’s not very specific, but okay.” Marla thought for a few seconds while Fran waited patiently. Whatever the woman was going to tell her about herself would be worth the wait. “My family was fucked up too. Well, my mother was, she was drinking a lot, she was spending all the money we had on useless things and alcohol so that there was just never enough money even for food, she had a temper, she could easily throw a frying pan or a plate at you over something like a dirty dish left in the sink. When my Dad was alive it was almost bearable – he would take all the hits, he would try to set aside some money, he was protecting me. But he got sick, lung cancer, and we didn’t have money for expensive treatments and meds, so…he died. I was 15.” Now it was Fran’s turn to squeeze Marla’s hand soothingly. “It was awful. Not only did I lose the only person who loved me, but I was now my mother’s punching bag. I got a job, I tried to spend as little time at home as possible, but…” Marla shook her head making the memories go away. “Somehow at that point in my life I realized that money was what mattered most. If we had money, Dad wouldn’t have died, if I had money, I could have rented something and moved out of the house, I could have gone to Harvard or Yale, I could have taken a year off to travel without a care in the world. But instead I went to a community college in Colorado, it was as far as I could go to get away from my mother, studied hard, worked even harder, moved here and many years later after failing again and again and never giving up I finally managed to set up Grayson Guardianship.” She concluded proudly.

“I’m sorry your Dad.” Fran said after a pause. “It’s so fucked up that people who are closest to you, who are supposed to love you no matter what tend to hurt you the most.”

“It is fucked up, yeah. But it’s like you said – all we can do is move on and be strong despite everything.”

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

“Ladies, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’re closed.” A waiter came up to them. They were so caught up in their discussion they didn’t even notice that they were the last ones in the restaurant.

“No, WE are sorry to keep you up. Check, please.” Marla said. When the waiter came back Fran made a move to grab the bill, but Marla was faster. “I invited you, I’m paying.” She said before Fran had a chance to object.

“All right, but I’m paying next time.” Fran regretted the words the second they left her mouth.

“Next time, huh?” Marla raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“I mean…if you…if there is a next time…shit, forget I said anything.” Fran dropped her face into her hands in embarrassment and Marla laughed.

“Fran, it’s fine. Let’s go.” She paid and they stood up and left, thanking the bistro’s personnel. “Is it too much to ask you to drive again?”

“No of course not.” Fran started the car and realized she had no idea where she was supposed to drive. “Where to?”

“That is entirely up to you.” Marla turned to face Fran. “Option one – we drive back to the office, you get into your car and go home. Option two – we go to my place and pop open another bottle of wine and see what happens.” Fran’s breath caught in her throat. Was she imagining things or did Marla just suggest what she thought she was suggesting? “What’s it gonna be?”

Instead of answering Fran just drove, keeping her eyes on the road and not on the woman next to her. When Marla realized where they were headed, she smirked. Fran decided not to comment on that, not trusting her voice at that moment. _This is a mistake. This is a mistake. This is a mistake._ But she didn’t stop until they were parked in front of Marla’s house.

“I’ll be right back with the wine.” Marla said once they were inside and went to the kitchen. Fran sat on the couch and breathed in and out deeply. _What the hell am I doing?_ She didn’t get the chance to dwell on that too long because Marla came in with two glasses handing one to Fran and sitting down next to her, close but not close enough. Fran was torn – the rational part of her was screaming “Run!” but the other, turned on and infatuated part of her wanted to stay, wanted to see how it all played out.

“Fran…” Marla finally said, obviously bothered by the drawn-out silence. “I don’t really know how to do this.”

“Do what?” Fran wanted to hear what this was, but after a moment’s hesitation Marla simply leaned in and captured her lips in hers, cupping her jaw with one hand. The kiss was brief yet tempting, like a promise of things to come.

“From where I'm standing you do know how to do this.” Fran said when they parted.

“You know what I mean.” She stroke Fran’s jaw tenderly. “You can go if you want to, no pressure or anything.”

“I don’t want to go, Marla. I want you.” Fran said shakily as they were only a breath apart.

“Last chance, Fran.” Marla whispered against her lips and Fran shuddered. Instead of answering she closed the distance between them and kissed her with all the pent-up passion she has been feeling these past weeks. Marla gasped at the intensity of Fran’s kiss and responded with just as much fever. Immediately there were hands groping and tugging on each other’s clothes as if they’d made a bet on who would get the other naked first. The first touch of bare skin on skin was like setting gasoline on fire – unstoppable, irreversible, all-encompassing. Fran lost all sense of time and whatever doubts she had were shattered when Marla moaned into her mouth as soon as the brunette slid two fingers into her. She kept thrusting into her and flicking her clit with her thumb until she felt Marla’s inner walls start contracting around her fingers and a few seconds later she came with Fran’s name on her lips. _That is so fucking hot._ Catching her breath, Marla pushed Fran onto her back and didn’t waste time in kissing her way down Fran’s body, reaching her folds and started licking and sucking there until Fran was nothing but a moaning and squirming mess beneath her. It didn’t take long for her to come undone with an unabashed moan. She barely registered Marla making her way back up and placing a softest kiss on her lips which she returned languidly. They kept kissing like this, with no agenda, simply enjoying each other’s softness and warmth. But even though the initial thirst has been quenched, soon their kisses became more heated, more sensual and they decided to take it to the bedroom, breaking apart only for a few moments. Falling on the bed, Marla on top, she moved her attention to Fran’s neck, sucking and kissing the skin there tenderly and then suddenly biting and soothing it with her tongue, making Fran half-moan half-chuckle. This would certainly leave a mark, but neither of them cared.

While their activities on the couch were driven by a wild need for a release, now it was more like making love (if they were in love, which of course they weren’t) – slowly exploring each other’s bodies, remembering which spots made the other weak in the knees, drawing out the orgasm to make it more intense, and kissing, so much kissing. Fran couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent so much time kissing someone just for the sake of kissing and she was quickly growing addicted to the feeling of Marla’s lips on hers.

Later, as they were lying in bed all sweaty and out of breath, Marla was softly running her fingers up and down Fran’s body and Fran felt like purring at the gesture but she checked herself.

“Hey, where did that come from?” Marla asked tracing an edgy scar on the side of Fran’s stomach. Fran sighed. “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just…a reminder of how stupid I was. I was two weeks into my job as a police officer, a rookie, who wanted to prove to everybody I was worth something. My partner and I responded to a street fight, there were 6 drunk guys against one and my partner told me to wait for backup but I didn’t. I ran towards them, thinking that me being a police officer would stop them, that I could talk some sense into them, I didn’t even put my Kevlar vest on. I was only partially right – they did stop and fled the scene, but only after one of them stabbed me.” Marla gasped. “There was so much blood, I was drifting in and out of consciousness, I don’t remember how they took me to the hospital. I was lucky, though, the doctor said two inches to the left and I would have bled out before the ambulance arrived.”

“I’m glad you survived that.” Marla said thoughtfully.

“Oh yeah? Why?” Fran dropped the subject.

“Because you are an amazing addition to my team.”

“Really? Is that the only reason?”

“Mm-hm.” The blonde murmured leaning towards Fran’s lips. “What other reason could there be?” She started kissing her neck while her hand palmed Fran’s breast, making the brunette’s breathing speed up.

“Oh, never mind.” Fran pulled Marla from her neck to capture her lips in hers, feeling the blonde smile against her mouth. There was no question about Fran spending the night at Marla’s this night.

***  
Fran woke up abruptly at the sound of an alarm clock. Marla stirred in her arms, snuggled closer to her and groaned. Did they get any sleep last night? Barely. Did they regret it? Not one bit. Marla reached to turn off the alarm and sat up.

“Shower, coffee, office?” She suggested and Fran just nodded. As much as she wanted to stay in bed and sleep in, she knew Marla was right. Plus, she had a feeling Marla wasn’t the one to skip work just because she felt like it.

“Are you coming?” Marla’s voice came from the shower and Fran surprised herself at the speed at which she got out of bed and all but ran to the blonde. The fantasy of fucking Marla against the tiles came true. As they spent more time in the shower than they were supposed to, they had to pour the coffee into thermal mugs and set out.

“Hey, do you mind stopping by my place for 5 minutes so I could change? I really don’t wanna do the walk of shame around the office.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“I’ll be right back.” Fran said when they stopped next to her apartment building. It took her even less than 5 minutes to get changed and soon they were parking by the office, stepping inside just in time. If anyone noticed them arriving together, or Fran’s car never leaving the parking since yesterday, or the hickey on Fran’s neck poking out from underneath the turtleneck she was wearing, no one said anything.

Just like that both Marla and Fran got down to work as if nothing had happened. Marla was all business, Fran kept researching Dave Peters, except…she couldn’t concentrate for too long. Her mind kept drifting to last night, to what it was. She certainly didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, didn’t want to think it meant anything at all. They didn’t discuss it and the easiest way was to keep thinking it was just sex, nothing more. But Fran felt it was different this time, it was amazing, certainly, but it felt meaningful somehow. _I’m imagining things. This is just sex to Marla, stop thinking like it means something more._

And Marla was acting like it really was just sex for her, nothing special. She was friendly as usual, giving Fran more tasks to do, chatting on their way to Dr.Amos or to the court. Either she was very _very_ good at pretending or she just didn’t care. While the latter hurt Fran’s feelings a bit, the former was giving her hope, and she didn’t want to hope something might actually grow between the two of them. She didn’t need this hope, this possibility right now when she was finally back on her feet. But Marla was…different, she was unlike anyone Fran has ever met. They had a connection, Fran couldn’t deny it even though she tried, they were totally in tune with each other at work and outside it. And the sex was off the chart, Fran was still amazed at how easily they managed to read each other’s bodies even the first night, while in the brunette’s experience one-night stands were more awkward then pleasurable. Marla was one of a kind and that realization threw Fran completely off balance.


	6. Chapter 6

A week passed and nothing out of the ordinary happened – Fran did her job, hung out with her co-workers a few times, and Marla was acting like a great boss and that was it. Soon Friday came and everyone hurried back home to their families or to a bar with their friends. Fran didn’t have any plans, which upset her a little as she didn’t want to feel like a lonely loser, but here she was, still working. When she felt she couldn’t concentrate on the research any longer, she decided to call it a night and go home and watch something on Netflix while drinking beer or gin-tonic, she hasn’t decided yet. Grabbing her things and exiting her office she noticed the lights were still on in Marla’s. Against her better judgement she decided to check on her boss. _Yes, “boss”, that’s all she is to me._ Stepping inside she saw Marla smoking her vape obviously lost in thought as she didn’t notice Fran until she cleared her throat.

“Oh, hey, I thought everyone’s already left.”

“I was just on my way out when I saw the lights. Um, are you okay?”

“Of course, why?” Marla smiled the fake smile she was always using in court, with her wards and their relatives. It was unsettling for Fran to be on the receiving end of it for once.

“I don’t know, you looked like something was bothering you.”

“Oh you know, just thoughts…” Marla dodged the answer and Fran decided to drop it for now.

“Okay.” They stared at each other for a while until Fran (against her better judgement, _again_ ) decided to ask. “Wanna go grab a drink? I owe you, remember?” 

Marla tilted her head contemplating the offer and Fran was about to regret asking her, when she spoke. “Sure, why not.” Fran smiled a 100-watt smile, she just couldn’t help herself. Not that she expected “a drink” to lead to something more, she was just happy to get to spend some time with Marla outside of work. _Riiiiiight._ “On one condition.” Fran tensed. “You drive.” Marla laughed at Fran’s audible sigh of relief.

“Where are we going?” Marla asked as they set out.

“You’ll see.”

“You are not trying to kidnap me, are you? Cause you know, I doubt anyone will be willing to pay ransom for me.”

“First, I doubt that very much. And second, if I wanted to kidnap you, I’d make a more elaborate plan than getting into your car with you in a parking lot full of security cameras.”

“Oh, so you HAVE thought about it.”

“Maybe…” Fran smirked and Marla grinned at their banter.

The rest of the drive passed in comfortable silence and soon Fran parked next to a neon sign saying “Chester’s”. From the look of it it was some dingy place for the locals and the skepticism must have been written on Marla’s face, because Fran grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the entrance with a “Trust me.” And Marla did, she followed Fran inside without a word of protest.

Obviously a regular, Fran waved at the bartender and some guy standing by the bar who waved back.

“Hey, Josh. Where can we sit?”

“Over there.” The guy, obviously Josh, nodded towards a table in the corner.

“Can you trust me some more and let me order for the both of us?” Fran asked once they were seated and didn’t even look at the menu.

“Hm…” Marla pretended to ponder on her answer. She rarely gave this much control to someone, but somehow with Fran it was easy. And scary, if she was honest with herself. “Fine, surprise me.” Fran smiled and waved at the waiter to come up to them.

“We’ll have your fish soup, whiskey on the rocks and gin-tonic. Thanks.”

“Fish soup? At a pub? Really?”

“I thought you trusted me.”

“I…I do, but this is weird.”

“Just wait until you try it.”

And Fran was right, the soup was beyond amazing. It beat even the best sea food restaurants Marla has been in, and she told Fran just that. Fran looked very smug at that, but decided not to make any comment. Sipping their drinks, they chatted, laughed, made fun of each other – they were totally at ease. Until the personnel hinted no-so-subtly that they were closing, so Fran paid and they stepped outside to go to back to Marla’s car. On a whim, Fran decided to open the passenger door for Marla, making the blonde pause at the gesture. She turned around and Fran was taken aback by the look in Marla’s eyes – intense yet uncertain. She swore she could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. Suddenly she felt a soft touch on her hand and looked down to see Marla’s fingers gently wrapping around her wrist.

“Fran…” the blonde whispered. “Wanna go to my place?” _Yes. Yes. Yes._

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Fran asked instead, moving closer.

“No.” Fran was going to step back but Marla stopped her, placing a hand on her cheek. “But when has it ever stopped me from doing it anyway?” 

Fran’s breathing sped up at Marla’s words and proximity and she did what felt like the most natural thing to do – she closed the distance between them, capturing Marla’s lips in hers and locking her arms behind the blonde’s neck. Marla responded immediately, hugging her waist to pull Fran into her, leaving no space between them. It took like 10 seconds for their kisses to become messy, frantic, hungry. Marla’s hand slipped under Fran’s shirt, scratching her skin, and Fran moaned into the kiss.

“Marla…” Fran gasped breaking the kiss. “We need to go before we show some serious PDA here.”

Marla nodded breathlessly and they both got into the car, Fran starting the BWM abruptly. The drive to Marla’s home was short, but it felt like hours to both of them, as all they could think of was getting their hands on each other. Fran parked and they all but ran to the front door, Marla fumbling with the keys as the brunette hugged her from behind and started peppering kisses on the back of her neck. Fran loved doing this to Marla – making her let go, lose composure, willingly give up control. When Marla finally opened the door they almost fell inside, but Fran managed to keep them up, and both women laughed. That seemed to alleviate the tension a bit, making them slow down and take their time with each other while taking their clothes off on the way to the bedroom.

***

In a few hours, when they tired each other out and snuggled closer, Marla’s head found its place on Fran’s chest, their legs intertwined. Fran couldn’t stop herself from thinking that even if this was a mistake (which it probably was), it was the best mistake of her life. It was like she was physically drawn to Marla and there was no controlling this. Fran told herself this was just because the sex was so good, it was easy to think like that, without pondering too much on her motives.

“Fran?” Marla asked lifting her head up from where it was resting.

“Yeah?”

“I…I don’t know how to bring it up, but…remember what I said the first night we spent together? About this not being a thing?”

“Of course.”

“I meant it and I mean it now – this is not a thing.” Fran did her best to keep her poker face even though she felt sucker punched. “I just…I really didn’t mean for this to happen again…and again. But you are just so fucking irresistible and I feel like a complete moron for not being able to offer you anything more than this. I don’t want to give you any hope or hurt you in the process, so if this is not okay with you, we should really stop doing this.” Marla blurted out apologetically.

“Marla, hey. We’re both adults and we know what we want. In this case, we want each other and I told you I don’t want a relationship either. I can’t deny that the sex is breathtakingly awesome so if we are both okay with this…kinda friends with benefits arrangement, I don’t see why end this. I’m totally fine with it, are you?”

“Me too.” Marla said without hesitation.

Fran smiled at the confirmation and leaned down to kiss her, feeling Marla smile against her lips. Parting, Marla burrowed the head back into Fran’s neck, placing a soft kiss there. She drifted off soon after that, while Fran was wide-awake and restless, though she tried to remain still so as not to wake Marla up. God knows the woman worked too much and she definitely needed rest. But Fran was worried she did the right thing by suggesting this “friends with benefits” thing and pretending to be okay with it. She was almost on the brink of admitting to herself that she liked Marla, liked her more than was acceptable in their situation. Did she make a mistake? Probably, yes. Could she take it back? No. She didn’t want to give Marla the impression she was into her so much and she really wanted to have more nights like this with her. Even if it was just sex, just spending the night, she would take it. Marla was addictive and Fran was quickly forming a habit. Despite her troublesome thoughts she felt herself falling asleep, comforted by Marla’s warmth so she drew the blonde closer and drifted off soon after.

Fran woke up to the feeling of the Sun warming her skin through the windows. Sitting up with a yawn, she realized she was alone in bed, but there was an enticing smell of coffee coming from the kitchen. Getting out of bed, she noticed the T-shirt Marla gave her the first morning after hanging on the chair next to Fran’s side of the bed. Trying her best not to think that she had “her” side on Marla’s bed she grabbed the T-shirt and put it on, heading to the bathroom.

“Good morning.” Fran said stepping into the kitchen a few minutes later and hugging Marla from behind.

“Morning. Coffee?” Marla turned in her arms with a cup of said liquid.

“Thanks.” Fran took the cup and hesitated only for a split second before leaning in for a kiss which Marla met halfway. The blonde cupped Fran’s face in her hands tenderly and deepened the kiss, asking for entrance with her tongue, which Fran granted at once. Somehow the brunette managed to place the still full cup of coffee on the counter without spilling it and slid her hands down Marla’s back reaching her ass, squeezing it playfully. She didn’t mean it to lead to anything but then Marla moaned into her mouth at the gesture and Fran lost whatever self-control she had, pushed the blonde up onto the counter and made quick work the robe she was wearing, never breaking the kiss. Needless to say, it was only a few hours later that Marla drove the brunette back to her car.


End file.
